By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld
There are a few questions we will pose here and to which we will provide appropriate answers. How is it possible that a person correctly lights one candle on the first night, two candles on the second night, three candles on the third night, four candles on the fourth night, four candles on the fifth night, three candles on the sixth night, two candles on the seventh night, and one candle on the eighth night?
How is it possible for a person not to be yotzei the mitzvah while he lights the Chanukah candles, but ten minutes later he will be yotzei?
How is it possible that a person will be required to repeat Shemoneh Esrei if he forgot “Al Hanissim?”
Dayan Dunner answers the first question. In the scenario that a person will be adding a candle the first four days, and will be subtracting a candle each subsequent day. We learn that we will pasken like Bais Shammai when Moshiach comes. Bais Shammai says we will light one less candle every day. If Moshiach arrives after the fourth night of lighting the Menorah, then we will switch to Bais Shammai and start lighting fewer candles for the rest of the Chanukah days. Hopefully we will have this She’ailah soon!
The Klausenberger Rebbe in the Sefer Divrei Yatziv answers the second question discussing how it is possible for one not to be yotzei the first ten minutes but will be yotzei afterwards. In a case where one lights his Menorah and his long candles are a little above twenty amos, as soon as the candles burn down to within twenty amos he will be yotzei. The reason he is yotzei after ten minutes is because we have a rule in the Gemara that says “Isho mishum chitzav” (Fire is like an arrow). It may take time for an arrow to reach its target; and even though when the arrow hits the other person the shooter may not be doing an action any longer, the arrow is still connected to the shooter’s action. Similarly, the fire is accorded to the original lighter and when it reaches under twenty amos, it is counted as if the lighter of the candles lit it and he is yotzei.
Rabbi Genichovsky speaks about a scenario where one would have to say Shemoneh Esrei even though we normally don’t repeat Shemoneh Esrei for forgetting “Al Hanissim.” This will answer our third question. If one forgot to daven Mincha on Erev Chanukah, he then has a chiyuv to daven two Maarivs. If he forgot to say “Al Hanissim” in the first one, but said it in the second Shemoneh Esrei, it would be problematic because that would show that the first Shemoneh Esrei is making up for Mincha when we don’t say “Al Hanissim.” However, the halacha for someone who missed davening and must daven again states that the replacement tefillah is always davened after the regular required tefillah of that time. Therefore, it would require the person to daven a third Shemoneh Esrei to render the second one for Maariv and the third additional Maariv as the replacement. He therefore would have to say “Al Hanissim” in the third one also.
Let us hope we see the simcha and geulah in our day!
{Matzav.com}
